New Toys

The timing is perfect. Summer is here, we have more time to play together and we got a bunch of awesome toys for Matthew's birthday. Here he is enjoying some of his new things!

Picnic in the park birthday party!

Matthew's birthday party has FINALLY arrived. I say that because it also falls on the first day of my summer vacation, and we all survived my being back at work for 5 months. Everyone just adores Matthew, and so most of our family made the trip to celebrate his party. The Moran Grandparents, Tia Suzy, Tio Mike and Aunt Rachel, and Tio George and Kelly came for a long weekend and stayed near the beach in Clearwater. Aunt Lori and Matthew's best bud, Noah, made the trip and stayed with Granna for 6 days. We even had all of our Gainesville family come too- Jen and Milo, Jaime and Ron, and Zac, Josh, Brooklyn, and Ben! They stayed at the beach for a night too, so we all got to hang out some more.

Since summer was upon us we had to go with some sort of a summery theme. Since our house is hardly big enough for our family of 3 plus Maggie we knew we couldn't have it here. So we decided on Lake Park for a summertime picnic theme. We bought picnic table cloths, and some red, white, and blue picnic decor, with little Alligator and Ant accents. The park installed a brand new playground that opened just one week before the party. We rented a pavilion and set up table to eat at and had a buffet of pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, my version of Milo's baked beans, chips, watermelon, sweet tea and lemonade, and of course.... cake! We had a great time just talking to all our friends and family. Most of the kids spent their time on the playground. We even had a clown couple come and make balloon animals and do face painting for the older kids. Matthew did not want any part of face, or bicep painting as we tried, but everyone else thought the clowns were a great touch.









Here is Matthew with his balloon sword. He loved it!




Matthew ate pulled pork for the first time which he loved. He also devoured watermelon right off the rind. When Mama Adina and I tried to slice the watermelon it feel apart in the middle, which isn't so great for slicing watermelon, but it means it is super juicy and very sweet. When the watermelon fell apart we were able to salvage it, and it made little baby-sized pieces. The kids loved it!


When it was time for Matthew to eat cake he was so excited. Everyone stood around singing and taking pictures, and laughing at Matthew, who in turn laughed at everyone laughing at him. There is no doubt he is Alex's son. The boy likes cake!!!, just like his daddy. Poor thing cried when we took it away and cleaned him off.



















We had so many wonderful people come to the party, and they generously brought so many nice gifts. There were so many that we took them home with us for Matthew to unwrap later. We will be swapping out some toys because we have so much. Daddy is out pricing storage units as we speak. I am not kidding! Some of the neat things Matthew got for his birthday are: Large construction/dump trucks which Matthew loves to put things in the back of, fire trucks, puzzles, sports balls, beach toys, clothes, books and crayons, bath toys, remote control cars, a helicopter, plates and forks for my big boy eater, musical toys/stuffed animals, a basketball hoop, play fruit, a play tunnel, bathing suit with sunglasses and sandals, annual passes for our family to the zoo, and swim lessons for this summer! We sent our guests in their way with little beach pails, complete with bubbles and a rake and shovel.



All these great people came to the party: Granna and Papa Jack, Aunt Lori and Noah, Mama Adina and Grandpa Neno, Tio Mike and Rachel, Tia Suzy, Tio George and Kelly, The Bobcat babies: Jack Campo and his parents Christine and Mike, Cohen, Jane, and Kate Lucas and their mommy Sabrina, Piper Nickerson and her mommy Stephanie, Ella Peters and her parents Heidi and Dustin; The Davis family- Milo, Jen, Zac, and Josh, and The Thomas family- Ron and Jaime, Brooklyn, and Ben; Shepherd Duff and his parents Jenn and Sean and Stella Shaw and her mommy Laura; Savannah Rollo and her parents Sean and Michelle; Jason and Mya Smith; Bonnie and Gary Garrison; Jocilyn Martinez; Baby Anthony Caramanica and his mommy Vanessa; Janice, Darryl, and Jacob Heiden; and Annalise and Rene Tyus who visited us at home after the party.

Here we are at the park with our birthday boy!

Happy Birthday, Big Boy

One year ago they handed me Matthew for the first time. I have had the most extraordinary love affair with him since that moment. He was the most precious and beautiful creature I had ever seen, and he has done nothing but stolen a little more of my heart every day. Matthew seems like such a big boy now, hardly a baby at all. He moves like a big boy; crawling, climbing, and cruising, and has taken a couple steps. He has a great appetite and is good at feeding himself and has even started using a spoon in his own hands. He is funny and inquisitive, and understands much of what we say. He likes to play games that he initiates like peek-a-boo, hide and go seek, or imitating others. He talks up a storm, and babbles, "mam-ma, dada, banana". He understands entertaining others and can fake laugh just to get people going. He is kind and sensitive, and likes to observe before he jumps into things.

As I sit here writing this on my last day of school I can hardly believe I made it to this point. I thought it would be impossible to leave him while I worked, but Matthew is very adaptable and has done very well with others to entertain his days. I am so looking forward to this summer. It will be very different from last summer. Last year at this time I was trying to survive on minimal sleep, soothe a cranky baby, tend to a dog who needed walking, and get a handle on balancing a baby, a husband, and my own needs. I feel like I have a whole new kid to get to know and enjoy this summer. Matthew does so much more now than he even did a few months ago that I feel like I get to meet a whole new person now- not just a sweet baby who eats, sleeps, and poops. I can see his personality emerging, and even though some things about him are things we have tried to mold in him, so much of him is just exactly who God intended him to be. I little bit of me and a little bit of his daddy, but uniquely Matthew.

When he was born everyone said Matthew looked like his daddy, with tan skin and dark eyes and hair. Then his hair fell out, his skin lightened, and his blond hair came in and they said he looked like me. Now after a year it is plain to see that he has his daddy's head, eye and face shapes, my profile, smile, and light eyes. It is funny how much he is like me and at the same time like Alex, when we look nothing alike. He looks like Alex as a baby and me now, so Aunt Lori joked that I now look like Alex as a baby! Alex's mom brought some of his toddler pictures this weekend and I will do a scan of them and a post to compare some pictures soon, because some of them are identical.

I never made a big deal about birthdays, and couldn't quite figure out why so many people made such a big deal out of them. Then I realized with Matthew it is a big deal. The birthday is really about remembering his "birth day" and what a once in a lifetime moment it was, how at 2:36 pm on June 8, a spectacular new life was started and the celebration of all that has happened in our lives in the past year. So tomorrow we will celebrate you Matthew, BIG TIME! So many people love Matthew, and you can't even believe what a impact of love and joy one little soul can make in the lives of so many people. It makes you realize that at one time in your own life you did that for others as well and you hope the path your life has taken lives up to all the hype. You are in for an incredible journey Matthew. You have already super-surpassed my expectations. I can't wait to see where this next year takes us, but I'm excited to see you smile at some many steps along the way.

Here's how big Matthew is:
22lb 7oz (50th percentile)
30in tall (50th percentile)
18cm head (75th percentile)





Here you are, all handsome after your first haircut. You were such a good boy too, no tears.



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Last month as a baby

Well Mr. Matt is 11 months old now, and it is pretty obvious that our days spent with Matthew as a baby are numbered. He is growing so fast and learning new things at a pretty fast pace. He is getting closer to walking and talking every day, and that baby I spent 7 months with while I was away from school now seems so different. We still have our quiet moments together, like the two or three times a day we have "Matthew and mommy time" (our breastfeeding sessions). But I know those moments are close to over too. And while I'm a bit sad that this time has gone so fast I feel good that we made efforts to enjoy all these moments as a family, and I know that there are plenty of new things we'll enjoy in the next months and year that themselves will be fleeting moments.

One of my greatest joys this month is seeing the bond that is growing between Alex and Matthew. Alex is so fun, and creative, and patient with Matthew. They have little games they play and places around town they go while I am at work. And Matthew loves his daddy. He laughs and squeals for him, and points and talks to him. They fly a remote control helicopter together (in the living room) and Matthew crawls into Alex's lap to play with the controls when Alex starts to fly to helicopter. One of the blessings I am most thankful for this year has been Alex's job. And not just because Alex worked so hard for it and that it gives us a paycheck, but the schedule and time off it affords. Yes Alex is gone generally one weekend day each weekend, but he his home a lot during the week while I work. We get to spend time together as a family at times, and then other times it is just the boys- just hanging out, getting to know one another, and playing together. That is a perk of the job you just can't put a price tag on, and I find myself feeling sad for the dads who don't have their own time together each week, and I can't imagine what our lives would look like without this time built into our week.

Here's what our little guy is up to as he eases into toddlerhood.

Is a mega crawler. He is so strong in his upper body and is pretty much able to get anywhere he wants to go. He crawls up (and down) the stairs, pulls up on everything and walks himself around the house, pushes little walkers and carts. He walks with the support of our hands, and my guess is he will be walking just in time for his birthday.

He is a great eater. Long gone are our purees, but I still prepare his meals ahead of time for the convienence of having healthy meals whenever we need them. His foods are cubed and he is happy to feed himself finger foods or be spoon fed (but he wants no part of feeding himself off of the spoon). When we go out to eat he has had little bits off of our meals. Just in the last two weeks he has tried tacos, hamburger, turkey breast club, bacon, french fries, avocado, ribs, and frozen yogurt. Ok, it sounds like we have abandoned his organic homemade meals for junk, but he has just sampled a bit here and there. Alex took him to the Ale house and let him clean off his rib bone, and when Alex and I ate the free frozen yogurt we got for mother's day we brought Matthew's yogurt from home and added fruit from the toppings bar. He still loves his fruit and veggies though, and chicken and fish.

Awesome sleeper. Matthew goes down around 7:30 and sleeps about 12 hours, then naps twice a day for about an hour and a half in the morning and afternoon. He goes down very easily, and seems to enjoy his crib. He doesn't make a peep all night.

His hair is blond and out of control. He will be getting his hair trimmed up very soon. He also has 6 teeth, two on the bottom and four on the top. He HATES brushing his teeth, so that is a battle we will work on in the coming weeks and months.

Matthew has become a very independent player. He can entertain himself with toys and books. He has a few favorite books, and even when I hide them to test him, he finds them and pulls them out. He seems to like the crazy books with lots of animals who are not the colors they are naturally, like a pink zebra, and a red and white cow. Matthew also likes tools with handles, and blocks and rings, and carries these toys around with him from place to place. He likes to splash in the pool and has graduated from his baby bathtub to the full size one. He loves to splash, and scream in the tub, and loves to touch the running water.

He has become very talkative. He jibber-jabbers and points, with his whole hand, to gesture at the things he wants. While I can't make out anything he says other than, "mom", his speech has become more varied, and he puts more inflection in his voice when excited or upset.

He laughs and giggles, especially at Maggie and when playing games like chase, and peek a boo. He loves to chase Maggie and touch her when she will let him. He reaches for her through the baby gate and when we go on walks. If he is fussy during dinner time I let Maggie walk around his high chair and have her kiss his feet. He laughs and laughs and as soon as he is happy with an open mouth, in goes the spoon!

Reading his favorite books

Pool fun

Causing trouble with his buddy, Cohen

Playing at the mall

Mall fun

Alex has had fun taking Matthew to the mall on days when they are home together. There are some fun indoor play areas with things for Matthew to climb on. Since Alex has to work all weekend we decided to make the best of our Friday night and hit up the mall, and then eat out for dinner. Matthew is very brave and climbs all over everyting. He has no fear of falling backward off of whatever he just climbed on. He has learned to not fear tunnels anymore and races right through them. I had fun watching him and despite being tired after a long week and long Friday, I enjoyed crawling around with him too. Then Matthew played in the coin-operated spaceship and enjoyed all the lights, switches, and joysticks while it swayed back and forth.

When we went to dinner the hostess brought us crayons. I think Matthew is young for them, and of course he tried to eat them at first, but after watching some of my students really struggle with fine motor skills I decided it was time to put a crayon in the boy's hand.

Then for dinner Matthew ate the meal we brought with us, and since we were both so hungry neither of us wanted to be on entertaining duty. We broke off pieces of chicken breast, hamburger, bacon, avocado, and french fries. This was Matthew's first meal that was the same as what we ate for dinner, not something I had pre-prepared. Matthew never stopped. He just kept cramming piece after piece in his mouth, saying "mmmmmm" all the while. We had really great sandwiches, and it was the first meal in a while where we were able to eat straight through without taking breaks to spoon feed Matthew. It was wonderful, and yet another example of how quickly Matthew is becoming a kid.

Of course with all that fun he fell asleep in the car before we got out of the parking lot. Sweet baby.

Baptism Sunday

We have been trying to go to church regularly over the last 6 months or so, and have really enjoyed the peace and perspective that comes from each sermon. Many people are busy baptizing their babies, but this day it was for me. Since having Matthew my spiritual journey has been one of great joy. I can't imagine how a person can hold their baby in their arms and take in every inch of their precious bodies and sweet souls and not be in awe of God's work. I feel like Matthew is a beautiful gift from God. God has gifted and entrusted Matthew to us and I know it will be my life's work to see that he grows to be a boy who is of good character, that uses his talents to serves the Lord and do His work. How can I expect my son to grow follow Christ's example without having a positive example in front of him and in our home? I grew up in a church that baptizes babies and then offers confirmation as a youth. I never heard of adults being baptized until my sister was in college. Since moving on to other churches and listening to scripture that others have shown me I have come to understand that being baptized as a baby is a gesture more for the parents and a commitment to raise a child in the Christian faith. Making one's own decision about baptism is what really matters, in addition to accepting God's grace and choosing to live a life that is Christlike. So last Sunday, our church was baptizing people as they do several times a year. And right as Pastor Matthew was calling them backstage to change clothes, I turned to Alex and said, "I like the baptisms. I want to be baptized. I think it is important." No sooner were the words out of my mouth than Pastor Matthew added, "I never do this, but God is calling my heart to today. If there is anyone here today who has accepted Jesus yet has never been baptized who would like to be baptized come on down. We have clothes of all sizes back stage and if God is calling your heart today, come be baptized." I looked to Alex, thought for a second about Matthew waiting in the nursery for us, the mall trip we had planned for right after church-- then headed down to the front of the church. I went to the back where volunteers gave us clothes to change into and there was a mad dash of 15 or so people frantically changing and then we went out front and waited our turns to be submerged in the baptismal pool. Everything seemed to be moving so fast, and I just remember the band playing nice music while Pastor Matthew said his piece, then as the person came up from the pool, the music got intense and the congregation went nuts in applause. I was glad that we were there as a family that day, with Alex being home and not having to work. I remember thinking that if you asked me when I became a Christian, when I accepted Jesus as my savior I don't think I could have told you the date. It was something I remember knowing for as long as I remember, but there was never a moment of "this is how I was, and NOW this is how I will be forever more". That's what baptism gives you. A moment when you say, "Today is the day I stood up before God and everyone and said I choose to follow." If I had taken the traditional route I would have attended a class on baptism and and learned about scripture, and likely would have found one reason after another to say I was too busy to ever take the class or now wasn't the right time. I am glad Pastor Matthew chose that day and those words and that I was in the right place at the right time. I think I would like to have Matthew baptized as a baby too, but I will make sure he knows the true decision is his and not ours. Here is a link to the church website with the video of the baptism, since Alex didn't take any pictures. I'm not sure how long this link will be good. Click on Baptism for 4/28. I'm way at the end, near minute 28. http://www.vandyke.org/upcoming-events/baptisms